About Us

From Service to Community.  A Family Legacy. 

The Burger Family's journey with McDonald's began in 1996, when Joe Burger Jr. opened their first restaurant in Andrews, South Carolina. What started as a single location grew into a family legacy built on hard work, community investment, and a genuine commitment to the McDonald's brand.

Joe Burger III spent 21 years serving in the United States Air Force, retiring in 2007 as a Lieutenant Colonel. That same year, his father relocated the family business from South Carolina to Knoxville, and Joe joined — trading one career of service for another.

Accepted as a franchisee applicant by McDonald's in 2008 and approved as an owner-operator in 2009, Joe has grown Burger Family McDonald's to nine restaurants serving Knoxville and Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Joe serves on the board of the McDonald's Appalachian-Bluegrass Operators Association, representing 400 restaurants from Southern Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky to East Tennessee, and is a board member of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Knoxville. The Burger organization is the recipient of multiple awards recognizing service and operational excellence.

Burger Family McDonald's is a true family business. Joe is joined by his wife Kimberly, who oversees team recognition and culture, and his three children who work in the restaurants — learning the business from the ground up, just as their father and grandfather did.

Nearly 30 years after the family's first restaurant opened, Burger Family McDonald's remains committed to the same values that started it all — serving neighbors with pride, investing in team members, and giving back to the Knoxville community they are proud to call home.